FUNDING has been granted to an initiative aimed at reducing the impact and trauma of parental offending on children.
The partnership between between Barnardo’s NI and the Probation Board will see support given to families across the north who have been affected by offending.
The initiative aims to "break the cycle of reoffending, by improving parenting knowledge and supporting families to strengthen relationships with their children".
The new funding will provide support for up to 100 parents through the Barnardo’s-run Parenting Matters service. Those who receive support will be helped to meet their children’s needs by improving their parenting knowledge and strengthening key relationships.
The service has been running since 2013 and has supported 800 families across Northern Ireland. It works to reduce instances of reoffending in order to make communities safer and reduce the impact and trauma of parental offending on children.
The specialist support is targeted at parents, step-parents and expectant parents as well as those who have a sibling under the age of 18, who have been given an Enhanced Combination Order or other community Probation Order.
Michele Janes, director of Barnardo’s NI, said: "We are delighted that the Probation Service has chosen to work with us again this coming year, to support vulnerable local families.
"The commitment and determination to change that our families have shown in a bid to improve the lives of their children and future generations has been incredibly impressive. By supporting families to strengthen their relationships with their children, we are working together to break the cycle of reoffending."
Amanda Stewart, chief executive of the Probation Board, said: "Probation’s role is to change lives for safer communities. We can’t do this in isolation, and that is why partnerships with organisations like Barnardo’s NI are so important. In order to tackle the causes of offending behaviour we have a range of interventions and programmes to help us challenge and change people’s lives.
"The support provided through Parenting Matters is making a real difference to the lives of families throughout Northern Ireland and we look forward to our continued partnership to make communities safer."
